A Tale Of Two Chibi's
by Uchiha Mira
Summary: Well, practically anything I put will give away the story, so read about our two adorable chibi's and find out!


Disclaimer: My stupid not-co-operating computer has put me in such a frustrated mood I can't think of any witty disclaimers. I think you all know I own nothing of the sort anyway. So there. 

A/N: Can it be? *** **Gasp * It is ! It's actually a light-hearted story that's not about death!!!! * falls off chair * I am stunned at myself. But enough about that. Eesh…anyone reading my fics would think I have an obsession with sand castles….2 out of 3 stories are about them….very strange. O well, if it means I have more stuff to post, that's fine with me!! ^__^   But, without further ado and rambling, here it is! Hope you enjoy. 

A Tale of Two Chibi's

It was a perfect day for the beach.  The summer sun shone brightly in the azure sky, casting its scorching rays upon the beach below.  The sunlight reflected off the turquoise water with dazzling brightness, the white glare moving with each wave. 

A particularly larger wave crashed on the white sand, sending sparkling droplets into the air.  Son Goten giggled and squeezed his eyes shut as the water sprayed his face and washed over his ankles.  Opening his eyes, he wiggled his toes in the now cooled sand.  He scratched his head where a bit of sand had nestled in his unruly hair, making the wild spikes even more tousled than usual.  The boy's black eyes, alert and attentive as always, scanned the stretch of beach until they came to rest on his mother and Bulma. 

The two women sat beneath the shade of a large beach umbrella, remnants of a Saiyan-sized picnic scattered on the blankets around them.  Both were dressed in bathing suits, and Bulma's turquoise hair was still damp from when Vegeta had pushed her into the water earlier.  Goten giggled at the memory of Bulma's spluttered insults and the amused smirk which had crossed the culprit's face.  Goten noted with satisfaction that his mother's hair had been loosed from it's usual severe bun, leaving it free to spill down over her back and shoulders like an obsidian waterfall.  ChiChi rarely let her hair down as she claimed that it was too much of a hassle, but when she did, Goten solemnly believed her to be the prettiest woman in the world.

Bulma caught Goten's gaze and raised a slender arm, waving enthusiastically.  In doing so, however, her hand brushed the rim of ChiChi's sun hat, sending the item tumbling across the cluttered blanket.  ChiChi rolled her eyes at the other woman, who now sat with one hand clapped over her mouth to keep from laughing.  Goten watched with amusement as ChiChi retrieved the runaway item and swatted her friend with it, chuckling as she did so.  Bulma in turn laughed and returned the attack with a rumpled cloth napkin.

Goten grinned as the two mother's laughter drifted down the beach, though his expression soon changed to one of concentration as he turned back to his work.

Small hands piled and sculpted the wet sand until it formed a lopsided mound.  Goten hummed happily to himself as he patted the sand, poking a short finger into several places of the newly made castle, the holes serving as windows.  He dug his fingers through the sand in a large circle, and though most of it was filled in almost immediately with loose sand, the young demi-Saiyan proudly pronounced it a moat.  Lastly, a red leaf from a flowering shrub was poked onto a stick, which Goten triumphantly placed atop the castle as a flag.  The boy's black eyes shone with pride, and he turned to share his masterpiece with his best friend. 

"Hey, Trunks!  Look at this!  I -- " Goten's words died abruptly and his face fell.  The sparkle in the tiny boy's eyes faded and he hung his head dejectedly, bottom lip quivering ever so slightly. Trunks sat, indulged in his work and completely oblivious to Goten's unfinished exclamation.  He crawled around an impressive structure, adding finishing touches here and there, a look of intense concentration set on his young features.  

The castle was enormous.  The walls tall and straight, each was topped with carefully shaped parapets.  Towers and turrets rose proudly from particular locations on the castle, and black stones had been pressed into the sand as windows.  A moat filled with salty water encircled the castle, fed by a canal which had Trunks had dug to intercept waves, carrying the water in a constant supply to his moat.  Even the flags atop each turret, though constructed in the same manner that Goten's had been, seemed to the black-haired demi-Saiyan to be far above his own little creation of which he had been so proud.

Trunks sat back to admire his work, surveying the miniature building with satisfaction.  The extra time spent on minuscule details had added and improved the castle's overall appearance, and Trunks grinned at the end result.  He glanced over his shoulder to see what Goten was up to, but the sight which met his eyes made the boy's brow furrow in confusion. 

Goten sat, slumped, chin resting in one hand while the other absently lifted handfuls of sand, only to let the grains sift back through his fingers.  The small boy's normally bright and dancing eyes were dull and dispirited, and they stared blankly at nothing in particular.  Beside him was an oddly shaped mound of sand, slightly sagging to one side, a twig stuck through a red leaf lying on its side atop the pile.  There was slight evidence of a moat around the castle's perimeter, though it was scarcely noticeable for the sand which had filled it in.

Trunks looked from the small, crumbling castle to his own much grander one, then once again to Goten's crestfallen expression and doleful eyes. Comprehension dawned on his features, and they hardened with decision and he stood up. Trunks backed  up a few paces before launching himself at his carefully planned and constructed masterpiece. 

Goten looked up just in time to see Trunks land atop his castle.  The boy's ebony eyes widened with shock and amazement as he watched the once magnificent castle reduced to nothing but odd piles of sand.  Chunks of wet sand flew in all directions and Trunks' arms and legs flailed wildly, not subsiding in their frenzied movement until the castle had been completely leveled. 

Finally, Trunks emerged from the destruction.  Wet sand and twigs clung in chunks to his hair, the normally neatly combed lavender strands in wild disarray.  A smile stretched across the boy's triumphant face, and though it disappeared for a split second when he spit out a bit of sand, the broad, lopsided grin immediately returned.  His crystal blue eyes sparkled with the same light that was always present whenever the demi-Saiyan concocted one of his schemes.  Goten shook his head in attempt to bring himself out of his momentary shocked daze.

"Trunks, you idiot!" Goten expostulated, arms waving up and down frantically as he spoke.  "Why did you do that?  Your castle was awesome and you ruined it!" He was now on his feet, having jumped up during his outburst. 

Trunks merely laughed and plunked down next to Goten's own castle.  "No way!" the boy declared, picking up the fallen twig-flag and placing it upright once again.  "Yours is way better!"

Goten's expression darkened, black eyebrows knitting together, bottom lip jutting out slightly.  The frown seemed out of place on the boy's innocent and normally gleeful face.  He sat down heavily in the sand, eyes downcast.  "You don't have to say stuff like that just to make me feel better, Trunks."  He looked glumly at the lopsided castle.  "We both know yours was way cooler."

Trunks shook his head rapidly, sending twigs and chunks of sand flying everywhere.  "Nooooo!"  He spread his hands out in attempt to explain.  "I already _have_ a huge house at home!  Whadda I need another one for?  That's boring!"

Goten raised one eyebrow skeptically, though he lifted his head in the slightest evidence of interest.

"Yours, though," Trunks continued, waving a muddy hand in the direction of Goten's castle, "It's awesome!  It just needs a little fixing up, that's all!"

Goten looked at Trunks doubtfully.  "Really?" he asked uncertainly.  "You're not just making it up to make me feel better?"

Trunks grinned once more.  "Really!  And maybe…" he leaned in closer, speaking in hushed tones.  "We can make it a _spy_ castle!"

Goten's head jerked up, eyes sparkling, and he scooted over beside his friend to survey the castle as well. Crouching on his hands and knees, he carefully examined every aspect of the structure. "Yeah!  And we can make secret passages, and underground tunnels, and, and…"  his words trailed off in excitement. 

"And,"  Trunks added, the familiar mischievous hint present in his voice, "we can make booby traps for trespassers!  They think it's just an ordinary castle, then POOF!"  He thrust his arms into the air on the last word, the action causing him to topple over backwards.  He sat up, grinning foolishly, as Goten clutched his stomach with laughter.

Bulma watched as the two giggling boys scurried around the small castle, digging and poking at the sand here and there, bursting into sudden fits of laughter on several occasions.   The corners of her mouth quirked upwards in a smile, which broadened as she continued to survey the scene before her.  Bulma looked with pride upon her son and the remains of the sand castle that had taken him hours to build. 

_He's a prince in more ways than he knows._

A/N: Well, there you have it. Shortest fic ever, and yet it took me the longest to write….how does that work? Anway, comments? Criticisms? Glad to hear 'em if you do!! (hint hint wink wink) ^__^


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